FIRE ON HIGH
“Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2007 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.
The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, Tonya and Zig Zag are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. ZZ Studios, and all characters associated with ZZ Studios, James Sheppard, and Marvin Badger © James Bruner and appear here with his permission. Although characters from and events referring to Zig Zag the Story appear here, this story is not canon to that one, and the author will disavow any knowledge of this story. Wanda Vixen © Chris Yost and appears here with his permission. Sabrina Mustidalae © Eric W. Schwartz and appears here with his permission. This story is not canon to Sabrina Online the comic, or Sabrina Online the Story, either. Matt Barstock, Angie, Intermountain Charter, The Bitch, and her crew, and Jerry Kitt © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE. Gail Rutherford © me and is not canon to any other story involving ZZ Studios. Gabrielle Ryder © Aslaug, from her stories Transitions and Transitions II.
Chapter 45
Turbulence
Alex sat at the small table in his hotel room. The takeout meal he’d picked up on the way in was in front of him, mostly untouched. He’d been sitting for two hours like that, going over what had happened and what he’d been feeling. It was Thursday night. He’d only been in Maine since Saturday, and had only been taking lessons since Monday. In that short time, it felt like his whole world had been turned upside down.
He took a deep breath and let it out, starting again to process the situation. He’d met Corrie the morning he’d started his lessons. He hadn’t acknowledged it, but he’d found the lioness almost stunningly attractive. It wasn’t professional, he’d told himself. He was there to learn to fly helicopters. As the days had passed, though, he’d been more and more aware of his feelings. That was why he’d been so jumpy the first day or so. It was why he’d blown that hover the first time.
Then had come the lion and his attempt to intimidate and possibly attack Corrie. Alex was glad she’d reacted so strongly, and that the lion had left instead of trying anything. With his feelings for Corrie still biting at him unrecognized, he’d been on edge enough that he might have caused the feline much more damage than would have been needed to stop him.
Then, the events of today. The wonderful feeling he’d had when she praised him. The internal anger at the bobbled taxi. The conflict of a rising temper and a desperate fight to keep it, and his feelings, under control. Then, totally out of the blue, that kiss. It had not only blown any anger he had away, it had knocked his professional reserve on its tail and opened up all the feelings he’d been trying to ignore. Even now, he still felt a shiver trying to move up his spine from it.
After that, the looks of shock and amazement on the other pilot’s faces, and their stunned comments. The desperate search through the hangar, for over fifteen minutes, before that headslap moment when he’d realized there was much more room behind the office area than what a bathroom would take up. Finding her there, in the locker room, and then sitting down and talking it over. Things had been going so well. What had happened?
“An engine start right outside the window, that made her misunderstand what you meant as a funny, but truthful, comment,” Alex grumbled to himself.
And then he’d been too slow, too stunned to react and correct the problem before she fled. Again, he reached the same conclusion. He didn’t want to let the mistake blow his chances with Corrie. Also again, he realized he had no idea exactly what he should do. Most likely make an apology, of that he was sure. Not for his statement, there was nothing wrong there, but for the circumstances and his slowness in reacting.
Alex felt he knew what he had to say. The problem would be getting Corrie to even listen to him. Flowers and candy came to mind, but Alex doubted whether or not she’d accept them. One, she didn’t strike him as a flowers and candy kind of femme. Two, with what she thought of him at the moment, she’d likely throw them at him, along with another curt accusation about a married fur trying for an out-of-town fling.
He ran a paw across his hair. The realization finally struck him that he wasn’t objective enough to come up with a solid plan of action. He needed some good advice. Who could he ask? He thought of Billy, but then Penny would find out and put him through such a third degree that it would be next week before he got the advice he needed. Jenna? He even stood up and went to get his cell phone to make that call, but then he thought again. She’d fallen in love with Jason while she was in her first year of college, and she’d dated only him the whole time through that and his flight training and to his first duty station, where they were married. In practical terms, she had less dating experience than Alex did.
But who else could he call? Alex mulled that question over for several minutes. Then he smiled to himself and began to pull up the number he wanted from the phone’s memory. A few beeps later, he heard the number connect and begin to ring on the other end.
As he heard the click of the phone being answered, he sat back down. This could be a long conversation.
# # #
“Jenna.”
Jenna looked up. Jack was at her home, and they were working on dinner together. Tia and Andrew were both in their rooms finishing up their homework.
“Yes,” she replied.
“I think it’s time we had a serious talk about setting a date.”
Jenna smiled, and replied in a mock-chiding tone. “Silly wolf. We go on dates all the time.”
He grinned at her playfulness, remembering briefly her tentative, almost timid ways when they’d first met. “Cute, but you know what I meant. I’d like to settle on a date for our wedding.”
Jenna turned her head and looked sideways at him. “Getting impatient?”
Jack blushed slightly, unsure if she was teasing or not. “Uh, well…maybe. I’m crazy about you, and I want us to be together full time, not just a couple of days a week.”
Jenna leaned over and kissed him on the side of his muzzle. “Good answer. Yes, we should probably do that. When’s a good time to sit down and look at our schedules?”
“Hmmm, how far out are we talking, Jenna? How long will it take us to get things arranged? A month? Two? Six?”
Jenna gave a rueful grin. “I’d say closer to a year, if we’re having a regular church wedding. We could go to a judge in three days, after the blood tests, but I want to pledge my love before God and the witnesses. It’d take that long to get everything together. Plan on making it a Spring wedding?”
“Hmm, too long. Can we do it this Fall? Maybe around October?” Jack asked, putting an endearing expression on his face and wagging his tail, his golden eyes shining.
“Oh no! Not the puppy eyes! Not the puppy eyes! Oh all right, we’ll shoot for October, but you’ll have to help out big time. When do we start planning?”
“Well we …ah, shoot. I’m going out of town Tuesday, and I probably won’t be back until Saturday.” Jack’s tail ceased wagging and drooped.
“And we’re busy Saturday of this week with Andrew’s district science fair. Maybe after you get back, then.”
“I’ll put it on my schedule. What do we start with?” Jack’s expression lifted as they moved past the delay.
Jenna thought a second. “We need to go talk to Brother Ronnie. I assume he’s who we want to do the ceremony.”
“Yes. So we need to make an appointment with him for Monday a week from now. I’ll give him a call or ask him Sunday. Ah, how fancy do we want to go with this?” Jack cocked his head, looking speculatively at his fiancé.
“I had my big, fancy wedding with Jason. You have no idea how formal an officer’s wedding can be. I’d prefer a more quiet, intimate ceremony this time.”
“Same here. If I remember, it took me a week to get my neck fur to lay down right after wearing that tux collar.”
Jenna suddenly turned and wrapped Jack up in a tight embrace. After a second to get his arms arranged, he returned it, and included a passionate kiss. They were still holding both a moment later.
“Eww! Do you have to do that while you’re cooking dinner?” Andrew said in a loud voice from the doorway. Tia smacked him lightly across the shoulder while stifling a giggle. Jenna broke the kiss just long enough to wink their way and say, “Yes, we do.”
Andrew made a gagging sound and turned to go toward the living room. Tia looked on a second longer and then giggled again as she followed her brother.
Jack and Jenna finally ended the kiss, and she leaned her head against his chest and sighed.
“The Lord has blessed us so much. I just wonder …”
“Shshsh. Don’t ask,” Jack interrupted. “Don’t ask how it could be better, or what could go wrong. We both know how life can be. Let’s just enjoy this moment, and look forward to making our wedding plans.”
Jenna hugged him even tighter, and then looked up to give him a quick kiss on the muzzle as she released him. They went back to fixing dinner, both with a happy smile on their muzzles.
# # #
Corrie lay curled up on her couch. She’d had no appetite, so she hadn’t bothered to buy or make dinner. Her cheeks were stained with tears, both of anger and hurt. Alex had seemed so nice, and so honest. How could she have misread him so badly? She’d dealt with philandering males before. She could usually spot a married fur trying to act single a mile away.
She replayed the events of the afternoon again. She’d been attracted to the tiger since she met him on Monday, but she wouldn’t let herself show it. He’d been a gentlefur, and a professional, the entire time. He’d even helped watch her back when Rex Richards had tried to intimidate her. Then today, he’d been doing so well, until the wind got up. He’d been so frustrated then. She’d become a bit angry at him for knocking himself down.
And then, that crazy, impulsive kiss. It had surprised her as much as it had him. Even now she could almost feel his lips against hers. The energy and passion, held tightly in check, only to be used when appropriate. She’d felt like she’d grabbed a power cable. Then, her rather hasty retreat to the locker room. She’d not been sure whether she wanted him to find her or not, but she was glad when he did.
They’d confessed their attraction to each other. Things were going so well, and then she’d gotten nervous as to where it might be headed. She’d tried to make it sound like a flippant, off paw question. A way to find out his intentions. She’d found out, all right. Even now it made her heart sink and her anger rise.
“Sorry rotter. Married. ‘I’m Married,’ HA!” she grumbled in a sarcastic tone.
And then she stopped in mid-grumble. Was that really what he’d said? She’d jumped on the words that she’d heard, but was that what he was saying? There was an engine starting up outside. That happened so often around the hangar that unless she was outside, she barely noticed unless it sounded wrong in some way. It had made it hard to hear, though.
Corrie thought a bit more, remembering the tiger’s reaction to her anger and the slap she’d delivered. His face hadn’t shown guilt. He had looked … shocked? Bewildered? Yes, that was it, bewildered. He hadn’t understood her anger. What kind of fur was he that he hadn’t understood that she’d be angry at him for playing her?
She thought a bit more, and then started replaying the memory of him as he was speaking. She had a good memory, and even though she wasn’t looking directly at him when he began, she had been when the engine started. With as noisy as helicopters were, she could normally do a fair job at lip-reading, but her mind had been on other things at that moment.
“Lessee…would…you…believe…I’m…saving…myself…for…marr—Oh Crikey!!” Corrie gasped as she realized what Alex had actually said.
“Oh gal, he must think you’re absolutely bonkers!”
She began to cry again as regret and guilt overcame her. “You’ve done it again. Chucked the whole thing down the outhouse before ya evah really got stahted. How can I face him again?”
She cried even harder for several long minutes. Finally her sobs eased and she raised her head.
“I’ll just go tell Ben in the morning that he needs to give Alex ovah to Franz. Then maybe I’ll volunteer for some papah company runs and see if I can avoid Alex until he leaves.”
Corrie’s heart really sank at that, but she couldn’t think of any other way to deal with the situation. Once Alex recovered from the slap, he was probably really angry, and not a little hurt, as well. Best for her to avoid any confrontations with him. She got up and took a deep breath. She then went about preparing for bed. Tomorrow promised to be a long day.
“Ah Corrie ol’ gal, ya really blew it,” she muttered as she got into bed. “He was shaping up to be the one to get you ovah your problems with males. Instead you managed to muck things up in really short ordah.”
With a final shake of her head, she rolled onto her side, and fell into a fitful sleep.
# # #
Zig Zag and James Sheppard were sitting in her living room, each working on things from their businesses and generally enjoying some peace and quiet in each other’s company. Zig put one script down in the reject pile with a sour look on her face. James noticed her expression.
“Bad one?” he inquired.
She gave a derisive snort. “That one was too dumb, even for an adult movie script. Why did I ever put out a general offer to look at scripts from amateur writers? So far they’re all loaded with sweat scenes, but very little story holding anything together.”
“I’d say your usual writing staff has spoiled you,” James replied with a wink. Zig Zag gave a rueful grin and picked up the next one as James went back to the budget paperwork he was slogging through. Just then, the phone rang, startling them both. Zig Zag took the second ring to settle her heart and breathing, and the third to compose herself, answering right after that.
“Hello, this is Zig Zag.”
“Hello Cousin. How are you this evening?”
“Alex! How are you? Where are you?” Zig Zag nodded as James looked up, raising an inquisitive eyebrow her way. He then mouthed, “Tell him hello from me,” and then went back to his work.
“I’m still in Maine,” Alex answered. “Zig, I could use some advice.”
“Oh, James says hello. Advice? On what? Did you find a hot date or something?” she teased.
“Well… yes.”
Zig Zag sat straight up, her tail flipping up behind her shoulder in surprise. “Say what?”
“Listen Zig, I know you were teasing, but, well, it’s like this…” Alex proceeded to tell her about the lioness who was his instructor, and the events leading up to the misunderstanding. After he’d finished, there was silence on the line for a moment.
“So…what do you need from me, Alex? You’re ready to apologize, so take it from there. I’m sure she’ll not be able to resist that handsome face and humble manner of yours. I’m no relationship expert. I could give you plenty of advice on sex, but I’m a basket-case about anything long-term.”
“Nonsense!” he replied. “I’ve seen how you and James are together. You’re doing a great job at building your relationship. Please, I really need a fresh perspective on this. I’m not objective enough to come up with a good course to follow.”
Zig Zag took a deep breath, chewing her lip and thinking a moment. “Alright, let’s see. She doesn’t sound like the flowers and candy type. Hmmm, this requires some imagination.”
She thought about what she knew about Alex and his ways, and what he’d said about the lady in question. After a few moments of silence, a broad grin spread across her muzzle. “Okay, I have an idea.”
“Great! I knew I could count on you, Cousin.”
“Yeah, yeah, just listen while I talk this through.”
Alex listened closely to Zig Zag’s plan, smiling wider as each part of it was told. He might have a hope of getting through to Corrie and fixing the situation yet.
# # #
“Penny, how’d you like to go to Columbus?"
Penny Panelli looked up from the proof she was examining. Her husband had been peculiarly quiet since he’d come home. She knew something was bothering him, but she’d learned long ago she’d get more out of him if she waited until he was ready to talk. He’d maintained his silence through dinner, so when they sat down in the living room, she’d pulled out some things from work to catch up on. The time off she’d taken while their son and family were visiting had put her a bit behind.
“Tonight?” she asked. The merriment in her eyes when Billy looked sharply in her direction deflated the snappish answer he’d planned to give. His shoulders slumped and he shook his head in the negative.
“No. Actually on a Tuesday a month from now. The owner of the two aircraft we’re buying wants to meet and have dinner while we sign the papers.”
“Oookay, is that what’s been after you all evening?”
Billy sighed. He knew he’d never fool Penny. It’d be better just to lay it out.
“Partly, although Fred says it’s a done deal. The owner is Matt Barstock. Problem is, he doesn’t like me very much, and after today, I kinda agree.”
Billy paused. Penny remained silent, but motioned with her paw for him to continue.
“Way back in flight training in the Air Force, we were in the same class. We graduated from the Academy in the same class, too. Anyway, I pulled a prank on him that got us both in trouble. I had high enough scores to overcome it and go on to become a fighter pilot. He didn’t have scores as high, and went on to fly transports. I’d never thought about it, but Fred pointed out that Matt might still blame me for not having been able to go into fighters. I never apologized. Never thought to.”
Penny looked at him, her expression unreadable for a moment. She then nodded slowly.
“Would he have had the scores to make fighters without your little joke?”
“I honestly don’t know. He was near the bottom of our Academy class, and I was never partnered with him in flight training.”
“So, now you’d like me to come along and give you moral support as you apologize, and perhaps at least salt the crow before you eat it.”
Billy couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
“Just for the record, this isn’t just to get the aircraft, is it?”
Billy looked crossly at his tigerfox wife. He wasn’t the type to make nice simply to make a deal. She winked, letting him know she was teasing, and then she smiled at him in a loving way.
“I think a trip to Columbus sounds wonderful. So, you mean you and he have been on the outs for over thirty years and you never made the connection? That doesn’t sound like the sharp tiger I married.” Penny’s tone was gentle, but Billy could still hear a slight reproof in it.
“Well, to tell the truth, we probably haven’t crossed paths more than three or four times since then. With going straight to fighter school, and then on to
Penny cocked her head a bit to the side, regarding him. “Well, now’s a good time to make it right. Will I be the token wife at the table, so we look like we’re ganging up on him, or will his wife be there too?”
Billy thought a moment. “I…don’t ever remember hearing that Matt had a wife. Fred said it would be him, me, you, Matt, and Matt’s assistant. Ah, what’d he say her name was? Annie? No, Angie. Angie’s her name.”
“Ah, I see.” Penny’s tone said she saw much more in that than Billy did.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’ll go put the date down in my agenda. It should be a nice dinner.”
Penny got up and walked into the next room to add the appointment to her schedule book. Billy just shook his head.
“I’m too young to be this befuddled,” he muttered as he picked up the remote and turned on the television.
# # #
Zig Zag put the phone down, a large smile on her muzzle. She’d been on the phone over half an hour, discussing Alex’s situation with him. She thought about it, and then giggled out loud. James looked up at her with another inquiring expression, mirroring the one he’d had when she first answered the phone. Her eyes were alight with laughter as she spoke.
“Well, coyote mine, seems we’re doing something right.”
James gave her a wink. “I’d hope to think so. What brought that on?”
“Alex complimented us on our relationship. He said we’re doing a great job building it.”
James smiled, but also gave her a speculative look. “Alex called just to compliment us on our relationship? We’ve been together a while now, and he didn’t see what we went through early on. I didn’t know we made that much of an impression on him.”
Zig Zag laughed and shook her head. “No. He had a relationship question he wanted advice about, and thought of me because of how we’re building ours.”
James gave a nod in agreement. “Oh, well then, I’m glad he…wait a second, a relationship? As in romantic? Alex has found a girlfriend?”
Zig Zag burst out laughing again at James’s reaction. After a moment she found her voice. “Yes. Seems a pretty lioness is giving him his lessons in helicopters, and she’s managed to break through Alex’s calm and reserve. Did I ever tell you his nickname? His ‘call sign’ as he put it?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. If you did I don’t remember it,” James replied.
“Ice. They call him Ice.”
James pondered this a second and then nodded. “I can see that. So this femme has melted the ice, so to speak.”
“Hah! Sounds like you’ve been hanging around Gabrielle at the studio. You could say that. More like overcame than melted. Alex told me she was pretty reserved herself, until today. He said the other pilots who work with her nicknamed her ‘Ice Queen.” Sorta funny how that worked out.”
“Ice and Ice Queen. Doesn’t sound like a hot romance.”
Zig Zag giggled again. “No, I don’t guess it does. In fact, if things don’t change, it might not be. Alex was asking advice because they had a misunderstanding today. He wants to make it right, but he needed a good plan on how to do so.”
James shrugged. “Alex never struck me as the type to let misunderstandings get out of paw. The few times I’ve seen him accidentally misspeak, he apologized right away.”
Zig Zag gave a nod of her head. “Very true, but this time he didn’t realize he’d stepped on it until it was too late.”
James shook his head, a slight grin on his muzzle. “Never thought I’d see Alex at a loss. Must be some lady.”
“He thinks so. I’m glad to see him finally find someone. I hope she listens to his apology in the morning.”
James gave a nod, preparing to return to his paperwork. “Well, if you gave him advice, I think he’ll do fine. He can be pretty determined when he wants to be.”
Zig Zag picked her script back up. “We’ll see. I’d hate to see him lose after waiting so long to find her.”
She found her place and went back to work. It was up to Alex now.
End of Chapter 45
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